Streams of Consciousness
by Illusor Meaneld
Summary: Sephiroth and Vincent are interrupted in a ferocious battle by a trans dimensional portal. What will happen when the insane Sephiroth meets his match in the Sadistic Vampire Alucard?
1. Winds of Fate

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 1: Winds of Fate

Chapter Summary: Sephiroth is resurrected once more… but no one had plans for what happens.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

The air was thick and musty, the darkness swallowing the details. One pair of glowing eyes hovered amidst the stillness. Featureless grey stone walls disappeared into the distance. The eyes blinked once, slowly, Moving forward silently unconcerned by the foreboding silence. A whisper of air caused the gaze to widen, the soft hum of magic thrummed gently through the empty building. Dust sifted lazily from the ceiling as power rustled through the air. The strange figure broke into a run, feet padding soundlessly on the ground. A door passed on his right, but he ignored it, another door and another, finally he halted at the fifth one, one gloved hand shot forward twisting the knob and throwing the door open in one movement. Light filled the hallway suddenly, illuminating the cloaked figure in a myriad of colors. High-pitched chanting filled the corridor quickly reaching a crescendo in pitch and power. A thin, middle-aged man stood in the center of the broad room, facing the door that had just opened. There on the floor between the two people an enormous circle, painstakingly painted with a peculiar greenish liquid, Sporting elaborate runes, symbols and intertwining diagrams. A pentagon touched the edges of the ring and at each point of the star sat a glowing Materia of a different color. The Older man, garbed in a flowing black robe continued his incantation, his spell almost finished. The intruder braced, taking three steps forward before a shockwave of iridescent energy blasted from the speaker and his magic circle, effectively throwing the newcomer across the hallway. Raising his arms towards the ceiling the sorcerer screamed the last arcane words, ignoring the form trying to rise just outside the door. His cracking high-pitched laughter echoed through the abandoned building as the circle filled with brilliant light.

"You are too late Valentine!" The mage cried triumphantly, "You cannot stop me now!"

Vincent Valentine pushed himself up from the wall watching on in morbid horror as the luminance solidified into a tall vaguely humanoid figure. The ex-AVALANCHE warrior straightened, flicking his tattered red cloak behind him, a determined frown marring his smooth face as his right hand tightened on his three-barreled gun. Suddenly the radiant glow exploded into glittering sparks, the light dying from the room more quickly than it had come. Vincent's red eyes peered into the darkness, but he didn't need to see to know that his nemesis stood before him.

"The bane of the planet, the child of JENOVA, … risen once again to conquer the world!" The Sorcerer cackled, Vincent could practically feel the smirk twist onto the face of the newly summoned Young man.

"Sephiroth…" Vincent whispered.

"No Cloud to greet me?" The arrogant tenor sneered.

"You will destroy the foolish humans great General!" the old man laughed sadistically. Vincent's eyes had quickly adjusted, and he watched as the green eyed SOLDIER turned to regard his summoner with mild disgust.

"I take orders from no man." He snorted. The Wizard whirled suddenly, sputtering in outrage.

"You are mine to command!" He shouted, Sephiroth chuckled,

"Oh really?" he mocked, his left hand stretched out, green light momentarily lit his face as his precious Masamune materialized in his hand. A moment later a shot rang out, Sephiroth leaped backwards just dodging the bullet as he whirled to glare at Vincent. "You think you're a match for me?" He scoffed, leveling the Masamune, its point directed at Vincent's heart.

"It doesn't matter." The gunman muttered softly, raising his Cerberus and dragging back the hammer with his thumb. "You will be stopped regardless." The sorcerer's indignant shriek was ignored as the two figures clashed, the bright flashes of gunfire lighting the room sporadically, the sparks of metal as Sephiroth's blade dashed across the golden surface of Vincent's Gauntlet. So focused were the two warriors that they didn't notice when the circle began to glow dimly once more, It's pale green light slowly casting eerie shadows in the wake of the two battlers. The old sorcerer, who had slunk behind a few empty crates, peered out in some concern at the new illumination. His shriek of shock effectively snagged the attention of the other two men, who paused just long enough to glance at him, one in annoyance, the other in confusion. Both were still standing on the enormous circle, it's circumference spanned nearly the entire room. The brightness increased and both figures looked down in almost the same motion. Twin pairs of eyes widened as a blast of light enveloped both of them. The old man cried out again as the blinding light forced him to turn away. Then suddenly the room was drenched once again in darkness. Fumbling his way forward the aged wizard groped for the lamp he had dragged with him, flicking it on with one finger, he gazed out into the room. The summoning circle he had painstakingly created was no more than layers of dust, The JENOVA cell infused liquid he had used wasted. But even more importantly the room was empty except for himself. The silence was deafening. Snarling with outrage the man hurled his lamp, listening without satisfaction as it crashed against the far wall. In the darkness his sobs echoed softly, though no one but himself was there to hear them.


	2. Till Death do us part

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 2: Till Death do us part.

Chapter Summary: Of SOLDIERs, Vampires, and massacres.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

Vincent stared blankly at the featureless white haze that filled his vision, there was nothing to smell, or hear, nothing to feel, it was just … EMPTY. It reminded the gunman rather disconcertingly of his coma-like sleep, and yet… he knew he was not sleeping. His eyes blinked again. He could move a little it seemed, but when he experimented with the rest of his body he could manage nothing more significant than a twitch of fingers or toes. For all intents and purposes he was paralyzed. He also realized he wasn't breathing, and somehow, he didn't need to. Another venture proved he actually couldn't, wherever he was there was no air. Vincent simply couldn't find it in himself to panic, he hardly seemed to be experiencing any detriment from his lack of oxygen, in fact… his heart wasn't even beating at present, which brought to mind questions as to why his brain was actually functioning at all. He blinked again, for the first time noticing that the blank white field was actually darkening, tingeing in grays and soft pinks. Another couple bats of his eyelids and the foggy surroundings solidified further, vague details picking themselves out and slowly sharpening under his focus. It was like experiencing a white-out on slow rewind…

After a few moments he found himself standing in a room, sound floated to his ears for several seconds before he made sense of them. The dusty featureless "abandoned" looking room was almost the mirror of the one Vincent had tracked the sorcerer into. Upon glancing down the red-eyed gunman had the strangest sense of vertigo as he found himself standing in the middle of an enormous magic circle, only this one was painted in red … _in blood, _He noted, wrinkling his nose at the coppery smell. Another glance showed this circle had runes in place of Materia, the sharp scent of decay was also one that had been lacking in the previous room, As Vincent's gaze picked it's way around he observed unhappily that he was not the only occupant of the circle. His eyes narrowed at the visage of Sephiroth, Vincent's hands, still stiff from their strange teleportation, slowly clenched on the handle of Cerberus. Sephiroth gazed around the room in annoyance, but much to the gunman's relief, seemed no more capable of movement than he. The SOLDER's eyes landed once on Vincent and then drifted back to the rooms other two occupants. The gunman followed the stare, his eyes widening in shock.

Standing just outside the sorcerous enclosure were two men, both sporting crimson eyes almost identical to Vincent's own, the one on the left was dressed in a suit of grey, but the formal affect was ruined by copious amounts of blood staining the sleeves and front. His brown hair hung un-kept around his face, despite the well-trimmed appearance of it. His partner was blonde, a rough bandana held his hair from his eyes, and a Zippered sweat-shirt parted to reveal casual shirt and jeans. This one twisted his lips in a smirk, flashing fangs at the two warriors. Vincent stared back, unusually fascinated by their eyes, _and their smell! …_ he resisted the urge to furrow his nose again.

"You serve us now." The well-dressed man sneered, his eyes traveled from Sephiroth to Vincent, hesitating on the gunman's red eyes before inspecting the SOLDIER again. Suddenly Sephiroth started to laugh.

"I serve no man." He stated again, "And certainly not a dead one." Vincent gasped in shock, his gaze turning to the two figures once more.

"You have no choice," The same undead figure scoffed, A few words were muttered under his breath and the air before Vincent and Sephiroth shimmered, chains materialized around them, it only took the gunman a few brief moments to realize the magical bindings had been there the whole time. He had never been paralyzed… just restrained. Frowning he glared at his captors. Sephiroth sniggered,

"Is that it?" The silver-haired man taunted, both of the vampires scowled. The SOLDIER didn't wait for them to answer but instead flexed his arms against his bonds, the metal groaned, the chains bending outward, and the well-dressed man gasped, pressing one hand to his head. Sephiroth smirked, leaning forward into the restraints, his left hand still held the Masamune, and he pressed the blade slowly into the sorcerous chains. Vincent felt warnings go off in his head, if Sephiroth managed to break his strange bindings Vincent would still be immobile, easy prey for the agile Swordsman. Taking his hint he wrestled against the detaining bands,

"Stop that!" The first vampire shrieked, the second one snarled and drew a small pistol, leveling it at Vincent. The gunman paused raising one eyebrow, _how was HE the greater threat? _

"Cu' I' Ou' righ' now!" The punkish vampire shouted glaring at Sephiroth, "Or I'll kill your frien'!!" This actually did cause Sephiroth to hesitate, but not for any reasons the vampires supposed, He looked from the gun, to Vincent, then to the vampire. The SOLDIER threw back his head and started to laugh. Vincent groaned, _he really hated that sound_.

"We're not friends." The gunman muttered,

"Go ahead!" Sephiroth interrupted grinning madly, "Just do it slowly, I'd like to watch." Vincent fell silent; the vampires glanced at each other, visibly reconsidering their choice of actions.

"We don' have time for this…" The second man whispered to his partner, "The Hun'ers will be here soon." Vincent and Sephiroth could both make out the sounds, there were certain advantages to Mako infusions.

"I can control them!" The well-dressed man hissed back.

"Jus' le' them go and le' Hellsin' deal with them!" A rocking explosion interrupted their arguments. The walls shuddered with the force, dust and cobwebs filtered to the ground. The sounds of gunshots somewhere else in the building reached the four people's ears. A string of curses slipped from the Second vampire's lips,

"I can control them!" The first on insisted again.

"Forge' i'!"

"I won't!"

Sephiroth watched the two of them indifferently, and after a few moments decided they were unlikely to do anything proving entertaining. He pressed against his chains again, levering the sharp blade of Masamune, the magical metal bending away from the legendary sword. The well-dressed vampire cried out in pain, grabbing his head with both hands.

"I OWN YOU!" The undead cried shrilly, wincing at the headache brought on by Sephiroth's struggles. Whether it was his shouting that had attracted attention, or simply that the invading forces had reached this far another thunderous clap sounded, the door behind the two vampires exploded, sending rocks and rubble cascading into the room. The punk-ish vampire shouted a curse whirling to aim his small pistol through the smoking Passage. Another small detonation and the undead flew backwards, dissolving into dust before he even reached the ground. The ashes scattered across the floor quickly soaking up the moist blood that made up the sorcerous circle. The runes blurred and the diagram distorted. Suddenly the chains holding the two Warriors in place exploded, the 'shrapnel' dissipating into harmless smoke. Sephiroth was the first to move, crossing the distance between himself and the Vampire who had 'summoned' him. Before the man could even cry out he was decapitated and stabbed thoroughly through the heart. It was strange to see someone dissolve into ash. Vincent decided as he pulled himself out of his reverie. Sephiroth turned to face him, a smile still gracing his lips.

"Not as satisfying…" The silver-haired man grunted, gesturing to the remains on the floor. "I much prefer splatters." Vincent raised his gun smoothly, Sephiroth widened his stance, for a moment a sense of Deja'vu passed over them, they stared at each other down their weapons, a vast painted mystical circle under their feet, the room dark and full of dust. The feeling passed and their staring contest was interrupted by a room-shaking blast. Both men leapt backwards as an explosive round the size of a fist shot between them into the far wall. Sephiroth glanced at the still-smoking breach, the sky just visible beyond it, and then past Vincent and into the corridor from whence the cannon shot had come from. He tossed a smirk at Vincent and suddenly sprinted to the gaping hole in the far wall. Vincent whirled, unhesitant in giving chase, another explosion behind him sent Vincent stumbling forward, his gaze lifted just in time to see Sephiroth disappear. He leapt to his feet, but whirled around at the soft clicking sound behind him. Instinctively raising Cerberus Vincent found himself staring down the triple barrels at a slender young woman, dressed in a form-fitting blue uniform, her wild strawberry-blonde hair spiking out around her face in a manner that immediately brought Cloud to mind. Most importantly, her Crimson eyes glared at him over the top of a cannon almost as big as she was.

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(( I think I forgot to mention in the previous chapter, but this one is an 'Art-Trade' ficlett, A request, so it will have no bearings on my other Final Fantasy storyline "It's Good to be Alive!". One of my readers for that story expressed some disappointment at the lack of 'Evil' Sephiroth. So this is for him. ))


	3. Parting Ways

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 3: Parting Ways

Chapter Summary: Clues can be left, but who will follow them?

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

"In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead…"

_Living dead?_ Vincent had stared at the young blonde for several moments, his fingers still hesitating on the trigger of Cerberus, He couldn't kill her… it was a simple fact, she had done nothing to indicate she was in any way evil or corrupt. Quite the contrary, Vincent just didn't kill innocent people if he could help it.

"…Shall be banished into eternal damnation…"

_Eternal WHAT? _The gunman had the strangest sinking feeling at those words, he knew he had sinned in the past, but he well expected his own repentance would lie in maintaining some semblance of peace in a corrupted world.

"Amen."

Vincent lowered Cerberus to his side, quickly raising his gauntleted hand in an effort to forestall the young woman's actions. It was a futile one as the next moment her gun fired; Vincent suddenly dropped backwards, his already raised gauntlet swung up impossibly fast, the oversized bullet shell scraped along its surface spinning off-target to fly through the already existing hole in the far wall. Rising from his 'limbo' position Vincent glanced over his shoulder following the path, when his gaze returned to the Blonde she was gaping at him. Her astonishment lasted only a few seconds however and she shook herself, taking aim again.

"Die Vampire!" She muttered under her breath, Vincent's eyebrows raised,

"Wait, I'm not…" He was interrupted by the cannon once again. The gunman leapt to one side, narrowly avoiding the second shot which exploded creating yet another breach in the stone. Dragging himself quickly to his feet, he holstered Cerberus and grabbed his cape with his good hand. Glancing down in some dismay at the new 8-inch smoking hole in the red fabric, idly he stuck his golden hand through it, twiddling the claws on the other side. His gaze returned to the girl once again. She was still staring, as if shocked that anyone could move that fast.

"Hold still…" She muttered under her breath as she took her aim a third time. Vincent was tempted to roll his eyes, but instead held his cape tightly in his hand throwing it around him with a significant spin. He seemed to dissolve, a swirling red and ragged form hovered above the ground. The blonde girl gaped again, but her attention was quickly diverted as three shots blasted from the amorphous form. Her cannon was thrown out of her grasp, clattering against the wall. Vincent's transformed state bolted indirectly towards the second rift in the wall, making a very difficult target as he disappeared from view. The young woman continued to stare after him silently, it was some time before she recovered enough to shake her head.

"M-master?..." She whispered into the silence, "I think we might have a problem Master…"

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A few miles away from the strange building he had 'appeared' in, Vincent found himself wandering through the outskirts of a fairly large city. Though the buildings were not completely alien to the sort he was accustomed to in Midgar and Kalm, the people were garbed in some of the strangest fashions. They seemed to share the same opinion about him as he left many gawking and staring figures in his wake. His keen hearing picked up several mutters and whispers, things about 'Vampire' and 'Costumes'. He absorbed it all in stride; there were more important things to worry about, like where Sephiroth had run off to. It disconcerted the gunman more than a little that the Ex-General had a lead of any sort on him. More importantly, Vincent didn't know where in Gaia he WAS. He paused sighing heavily, and drawing a few more curious glances, however he was supposed to go about tracking Sephiroth down, he probably needed somehow to be more inconspicuous. There was little he could do about the cloak, which seemed to be almost as big a problem as the golden claw arm people gaped at. No, he couldn't do much of anything about his appearance; he would just have to go about this the hard way. His course changed abruptly walking between two buildings as he disappeared into the shadows. Sephiroth would leave a trail, he always did… and Vincent was the only man walking this world who knew exactly what to look for.

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It was only the matter of a few minutes after his Childe called that Alucard appeared in the empty summoning room. His gaze passed over the magic circle and the dust of the two vampires, shifting past the holes in the far wall to land finally on Ceres Victoria.

"What happened, Police Girl?"

She shuffled uncomfortably in place, "Well Master,… it was a simple mission you know? And I came in here to get the vampires… but…"

"But what, Police Girl?"

"They weren't alone!" She gasped, "The reports said they were alone Master!"

"So?"

"There were two other men here Master… one of them definitely wasn't a vampire… and the other one…"

Alucard said nothing, waiting as Seres tried hard to explain the situation.

"He LOOKED like a vampire… he had the eyes, and he moved faster than any human… but he didn't smell right." She put a hand to her head in confusion. "They both got away Master…"

Alucard regarded his Childe in silence, after a moment he turned and walked slowly around the room, regarding everything lazily as he passed, finally after surveying both the new 'exits' he turned back to Seres.

"It's alright, Police Girl, they weren't vampires," He smirked casually at the thought. One of them could fly, and the other left no lingering scent trail. This might prove very interesting, "Lets go home." He decided suddenly, turning to stride past his very flustered Childe, grinning as he left everything behind. _Very interesting indeed._

((short chapter I know… I'm still working on more.))


	4. The Hunt

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 4: The Hunt

Chapter Summary: As Sephiroth's trail grows colder, Vincent runs into an unexpected foe.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

This one also wasn't Sephiroth's ... Vincent gazed around the room in disgust. The dark, dusty house was filled with the coppery tang of blood, both new and old. The gunman strode steadily from the place, the ashes from his enemies thickly coating the floors and mingling with the blood to make a thick brown sludge which coated Vincent's once-shiny boots. His many weeks in this new world had been very frustrating. He'd spent the first few days accustoming himself to his new environment… not completely alien from Midgar, his focus had been to track down Sephiroth… the insane swordsman always left a trail of carnage in his wake. At first this seemed to work fine, the trails of slaughtered victims spoke clearly of the silver-haired murderer. And yet… Vincent quickly discovered that Sephiroth wasn't the only sociopath who thrilled at pain and destruction. Time and again the General's trails mixed confusingly with those of the local 'vampires'. The 'undead' that Vincent himself had initially been mistaken for. After cleaning out what seemed like his hundredth nest of the blood-sucking freaks Vincent was growing more concerned about finding Sephiroth's suddenly elusive trail. With a heavy sigh he shook his head, raven locks of messy hair fluttering about before resting again across his red-clad shoulders. Stepping from the stiflingly dead house into the moonlight he pondered the sky. There was no question of him continuing. Sephiroth had to be stopped, and Vincent was the only one knowledgeable enough to find the psychopath.

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Seras Victoria unconsciously swiped a hand across her forehead, even though she had ceased to sweat since her 'death'. She couldn't help the nervous motion as she considered their newest find. Her mission had been to route another nest of FREAKs, and much like many of her other recent assignments, someone had beaten her to it. She realized they were still hunting the elusive 'not-vampire', though it was mildly confusing considering said person seemed to be on their side… at least as far as the FREAKs and Ghouls were concerned. She scrubbed her forehead again, wrinkling her nose at the strong scent of old death filling the house she stood in. Not a single living or unliving creature was standing, it was actually quite impressive.

_What is it Police Girl? _

Her master's voice whispered through her mind. "This one's been beaten too Master…" She murmured aloud, "The man in red has been here… I can smell him."

_Very good Police Girl… How recently did he leave?_

"What?..." Seras hesitated, Alucard had never asked that question before, usually he just determined if their mysterious red man had disposed of their targets for them, and then the Gathered Hellsing units packed up and left. "What do you mean Master?"

_How fresh is his smell this time Police Girl? … Has he been there… tonight?" _

Seras frowned turning over the question in her mind and sniffing the air delicately. She could still smell the powerful gunpowder scent from the man's gun, and the ash from the redeceased undead was thick in the stale air. "I-I think so Master… It smells pretty fresh… m-maybe a few hours?" A familiar cocky laugh wafted through her mind, sending shudders down her frame, briefly she wondered if she would ever get used to that.

_Wonderful…_ Alucard whispered, _maybe now I can finally meet our Vampire Hunter…_

His laughter trailed off, slowly disappearing until Seras was alone in her mind, she shook her head, trudging back to where the other Hellsing units waited. Quickly delivering her report.

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The thick crunching of gravel under heavy boots was the only sound to break the dense silence filling the night. The reports and rumors of drastically increased carnage had been long reaching in recent weeks. And the whispers of Hellsing's dogs running in confused circles had been too much for the Iscariot organization to ignore. Paladin Alexander Anderson couldn't repress his grin at the thought of beating the English swine at her own games. Admittedly the trails had been more difficult to follow than he'd anticipated, but the wait just made this victory that much sweeter. The muffled sounds of gunshots echoing through the condemned building before him brought a chuckle from the blonde man's throat. One calloused thumb rubbed the sharp edge of the holy blade in his hand, peacefully ignoring the thin line of blood that appeared from the razor-sharp bayonet. His long-legged stride brought him steadily closer to the house in question, each step forward sealing his intended victim's fate. He didn't bother with stealth as he tossed the decrepit door open, ducking to fit through the low frame. His glasses gleamed in the dim lighting his grin broadened even as his pulse picked up in anticipation. He would dispose of this foul creature, and then Alucard and the disgusting Hellsing organization wouldn't be far behind. He paused on the threshold to what might have been the 'living room', had this structure been occupied by anything that could lay claim to life. The irony of the position was not lost on the esteemed Father, and he snickered. His green eyes scanned the large room, coming to a rest at a door on the far side, he could literally smell the stench of the undead, one hand calmly raised a blessed bayonet. Just as the door burst open, he let it fly. Sure enough a vampire was scrambling through right into the path of the blade. Anderson grinned, but before his projectile struck a loud blast rang through the air, a flash of light and the vampire jerked once, then twice as Anderson's blade intercepted it the gunshot throwing the undead out of the bayonet's proper trajectory. But the damage had already been done the bullet had passed through its heart and the beast collapsed in a pile of acrid-smelling ash. Anderson blinked, taken aback by the speed of that shot. His eyes rose from the floor back to the doorway, listening to the heavy metallic footsteps. Glowing red eyes appeared first, followed quickly by a red cloaked visage. It took considerable self-control for Anderson not to toss his blades right then. But he realized quickly that this wasn't Alucard. The signature hat was missing, and the face was significantly smoother and the expression more calm than the infamous Nosferatu. The Cloaked man blinked back, curiously eyeing the paladin, refusing to break the silence. Finally Anderson chuckled,

"Ah Must say Ah hadn't expected ya ta be the infamous demon e'en the hellsing dogs could'na find. Of all tha blasphemous heathens runnin' about ya surprise me."

The man before him simply raised an eyebrow, his crimson gaze dropping to the floor where the ash settled around a distinctive blade form, and back to the matching weapons carried by Father Anderson. The Paladin sneered,

"Dinna think tha' we are friends simply because we fight the same demons, ya have yar own heritage to worry yaself about, Monster!"

The gunman blinked, his brows furrowing, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend…" He quoted almost inaudibly.

"All of ya blood-sucking abominations are enemies in the sights of god… ya'll pay for yar sins and then yar soul will be dragged into the deepest pits of hell where ya belong."

"I am not your enemy…" The gunman tried once more, but Anderson would hear none of it, he'd given his warning, and the blasphemous monster was standing right before him. Dashing forward he lunged with his holy blades, dancing around his agile foe striking at anything that presented itself as a target. Surprisingly enough he only ever seemed to connect with the tattered cape that drifted almost gracefully behind the gunman's form.

"Stand still ya abhorrence!" Anderson growled,

"My name is Vincent…" The gunman replied smoothly, Alexander scowled viciously, was the monster taunting him?

"Yar name is no longer important to god and his loyal children, ya shall be damned with the rest of your repulsive kind." He lunged again, tossing the blades and slashing with them, trying for any sort of opening that he even imagined, but still his opponent simply dodged. Anderson found himself hard-pressed to contain his intended target in the room, dashing between the cloaked man and his possible escapes. He had this one right where he wanted it, and he wasn't about to let it go.

"I have no desire to harm you…" Vincent murmured, side-stepping the blades with seeming ease.

"Ah'll not stop until the world has been cleansed of your filth!" Anderson screamed back.

Vincent sighed heavily, a short leap taking him across the room and temporarily out-of-reach of the enraged Paladin, while drawing a single pistol of the smallest caliber. "I did not want to resort to this…" strangely enough to the Catholic, his voice held a tinge of sorrow, yet another thing he hadn't expected. But his thoughts were cut drastically short when two shots rang out almost on top of each other, pain exploded in his hands as the bullets ripped through them. Alexander cringed, quickly assessing the damage, wondering once more how the man could shoot so quickly and accurately, both shots had pierced between his bones and through the center of each hand. He blinked once as his gaze lifted to meet Vincent's crimson one. As the gunman before him silently turned to leave he laughed, tossing two more bayonets which were annoyingly also dodged,

"Ya canna beat meh with such tactics, Monster! Es'pecially not with such a weak weapon as tha'. I canna be killed by abominations such as yarself, God's grace protects meh." Both of Vincent's eyebrows raised, his eyes darting to Anderson's freshly healed hands. A barely perceptible smirk twisted his smooth features.

"I wish I'd known that sooner…" He muttered wryly, his gloved hand quickly disappeared under his coat, taking his slender pistol with it. A moment later it reappeared with a completely different weapon.

Paladin Alexander Anderson found his cocky smile quickly fading, as he was staring down the business end of an absolutely massive tri-barrel gun. Suddenly this fight didn't seem quite as intriguing as it had before.


	5. Of Guns and Bayonets

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 5: Of Guns and Bayonets

Chapter Summary: Anderson is no easy foe… at least not most of the time.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

Seras plodded doggedly forward, eyeing the house before her warily, this was her second mission in one night, and the darkness was starting to fade. Sir Integra had decided to take the chance that they might catch up to the elusive red-cloaked vampire hunter, Seras had to wonder if Alucard didn't somehow have something to do with this verdict. Approaching the front of the building she noted that the door was wide open. A frown marred her face, Vampires were never so careless, and so far their evasive hunter had courteously closed the doors behind himself. Stepping into the room she wrinkled her nose. Again that smell of old death, she believed she'd never find it anything but revolting. However in light of her Master's odd questions early this evening she sniffed the air tentatively. Her eyes widened as she quickly realized some of the blood in particular was quite fresh, and it was Human! Victoria's pace quickened, following her nose as she prowled through the house. Eventually the trail led her to the 'living room'. The coppery tang was thick and almost palatable here. The young vampire's stomach would have growled if it still possessed that ability. The floors and walls were covered in blood, massive holes with charred edges lay testament to the heavy cross-fire this room must have endured. Seras ponderings were startlingly interrupted by a callous and frighteningly familiar voice.

"Be gone from here ya filthy dog! Ah'll tear ya apart with mah bare hands if Ah need ta."

Seras jumped, squeaking in terror, it was the Paladin! Her crimson eyes darted around the room, but no tall blonde figure stood poised to destroy her… Blinking back her confusion she tried to discern where the voice had come from, noting for the first time since her entrance that the walls were pierced with a startling number of the Paladin's infamous bayonets.

"Well if it isn't the little draculina…" Anderson's voice called mockingly, "So 'ave ya come to take god's punishment demon?"

Seras head cocked in confusion, Alexander's voice sounded a little strange… almost as if it were constricted some how. Edging forward Seras noticed a large table, half-hidden in shadows, practically covered in the gleaming blessed blades. Upon drawing close enough to get a good look with her superior vision, Seras gasped, and couldn't help but stare in amazement. Paladin Alexander Anderson was pinned to the table in an almost gruesome manner by his own weapons! He had two through his neck on either side of his vital air and blood passages, more blades pierced the lengths of his arms and legs at every conceivable joint and between almost every bone. Even more were scattered like some sort of twisted acupuncture lesson around his torso. Never before had the young vampiress seen the powerful Catholic brought down so low… it sent a shiver down her spine at the thought of what else the enigmatic man in red could do.

"Dinna think that I canna still kill ya foul beast!" Anderson snarled, though his threats had little weight to them in light of the fact he seemed completely incapable of movement.

One shaky hand rose to the communications device on her ear, "This is Officer Victoria…" She began, unable to tear her eyes from the sight of the pathetic paladin. "All of the FREAKs have been disposed of… but… there's another complication." She took a deep breath, her mind whirling as she tried to decide how to explain this. "The Paladin Anderson is inside the building…" She said hurriedly, "But… He's been forcibly detained, likely by the 'hunter'."

--------------------------

Vincent stood, calmly surveying the menu listings of this particular restaurant. The young man who claimed to be the 'order-taker' had given him a rather strange look when Vincent had walked in asking for the nearest sink or restroom. But despite the Gunman's blood and ash covered appearance, the youth had courteously directed him to the back of the store where such rooms could be found. Having tidied himself up as best as the facilities allowed, he was now taking the opportunity to sample some of the food offered by this strange world. Due to his own inhuman attributes, Vincent did not actually need to eat as often as most humans did. But he still required some sustenance from time-to-time. The gunman was pulled from his musings with the realization that there weren't any more people in front of him, and it was his turn to order. One last brief scan of the Menu and he made his choice.

"That one." He stated simply, indicating with his gloved hand to one of the lit images behind the cashier. The youth twisted around following his gesture.

"Ah, would you like Fries and a drink with that?"

"Yes."

"Okay, and will this be for here or to-go?"

"to-go."

"Alright, and will that be all for you?"

"Yes."

"Your total comes to $6.82"

"…" Vincent hesitated, pulling a wad of cash that he'd acquired from some of his victims, those that weren't covered in blood or ash; He eyed the paper slips ruefully,

"Um…. Are you from a different Country?" The young man finally asked after a short silence,

"… … Yes."

"Ah," The boy smiled broadly, leaning forward to explain to him the different values of the various bills he held, taking the ones needed to pay for the food and then returning the change.

"Thank you." The gunman said sincerely, and following the examples of those customers who had gone before him, he took his number and took a seat. So there were many countries in this world… He'd learned of their existence before, and it was not particularly unusual considering his world had countries like 'Wutai'. But what really surprised him was the variety of languages this world seemed to possess. 'tourists' as visitors from other countries seemed to be called, almost never understood anything Vincent said, and the feeling was rather mutual. The gunman simply had to thank his luck that he'd somehow landed in a 'country' whose language he understood. Hesitating on that thought, Vincent frowned, had he really known this language before? Now that he considered, it didn't seem very likely. Perhaps something involving the strange magic used to bring him here had bestowed an instinctive comprehension of sorts. He didn't actually have time to ponder that any further as his number rang through the intercom system. Blinking several times, Vincent gaped at the young man, That had been incredibly fast! Rising silently he strode to the counter, retrieved his order with another soft 'thank you', and stepped out into the night air. A few moments later he smiled, the food, while exotic and strange, was delicious! He'd have to tell Tifa about these 'Burgers' and see if he couldn't convince her to emulate these remarkable restaurants.

--------------------------

Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing was more than a little annoyed. Not one of her well-trained men seemed capable of giving her an accurate report as to the situation in dealing with the newest Vampire. Due to this incompetence, she had ordered Walter to fly her to the position personally in one of the Hellsing Organization Helicopters. As she stepped from the vehicle she leveled an icy glare at her commanders.

"Commander, when I ask for a report on the situation, I expect you to be thorough, succinct and expeditious. I do NOT want to hear ramblings about your lack of knowledge as to the situation in question."

The Commander straightened with a salute. "My apologies Sir Hellsing, My men have been unable to approach due to Alucard's interferences."

Integra responded with a raised eyebrow, "Alucard's interferences? Do explain yourself Commander."

"Alucard refuses to allow my men to enter. Insisting that he will not likely have an opportunity like this one in the next millennia. As to what he is referring to, I had some unconfirmed reports of the presence of Paladin Alexander Anderson being present in the building before we were cut off."

Integra considered this for an entire half-moment, before ordering a squad of men to move out, briskly taking the lead as she strode up to the door. "Alucard! I demand you open this door immediately." And sure enough the door swung open, seemingly of its own volition. Immediately the air was filled with curses, oaths and threats and choked shouts of fury, a Scottish accent so heavy it was almost unintelligible. Integra paused briefly on the threshold. Until Alucard's voice also reached her ears, mocking, laughing, filled with sadistic joy.

"Is that just a flesh wound Father?... I'm pretty certain your church wouldn't approve of that language…" Integra winced, judging by the strangled sound of the catholics bellows this had been going on for some time. Following the voices integra stepped into the living room. Surveying the room without so much as the bat of an eye at the unusual circumstances. Anderson was effectively pinned to the table at the far side of the room, with his own weapons. Young Seras Victoria was fidgeting in her seat on the battered couch, apparently having already given up in reasoning with her Master. And lastly, Alucard… was hanging upside down from the ceiling, hurling insults and provocations at the prone Paladin.

"Alucard, I order you to desist your provocation immediately." Integra barked.

"But Master…" Alucard hummed silkily. "This kind of opportunity…"

"Now, Alucard."

"Just a little longer Master," Integra was stunned, she could not recall her vampire ever wheedling before.

"That was an Order Alucard! Do not make me repeat myself again."

Almost whining in disappointment Alucard dissolved through the ceiling. Integra could have almost sworn she'd heard a muttered 'spoilsport' as his parting shot. Ice blue eyes traveled once again to the restrained Catholic. He was literally foaming at the mouth, his eyes wild with fury. Stepping forward with absolute calm she eyed him dispassionately.

"Let me make myself abundantly clear." She began in her iciest 'don't cross me' tone. "I want to know exactly why the Iscariot Organization thinks they can interfere in Hellsing business. Depending on your answer I will either have you arrested for treason under her Majesty's law, or deport you back to Italy in a box, giving you the opportunity to explain to your superiors why you are fastened to a table." Anderson spat several impolite curses. "Though perhaps, if you cooperate and explain yourself and exactly how this happened, I might allow you the dignity of transporting yourself back to Iscariot." Ignoring the echoing snort of disapproval from Alucard, who was apparently still close at hand. Integra watched the immobile blonde consider her offer. Still scowling furiously as her unrelenting face drove home exactly how little choice he had in the matter.

"Aiff ya keyp tha' foul monstah awai from meh, Ah'll cohnsedah yah propahsition." Integra simply nodded, reflecting that a proper explanation would take that much longer if the Paladin didn't calm down enough to ease off the thick and heavily accented speech. The thudding of boots down the hallway interrupted her musings and she turned to see a young officer tear into the room, a half-eaten burger still clutched in one hand.

"I saw him!" the man gasped, "The hunter! He was just down the street! He can't be a vampire!"

Integra raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting to her commander, "If I am not mistaken, you were already briefed as to the secondary targets living status were you not?" The commander nodded, Integra turned back to the officer, "Aside from the briefing you no-doubt received, what has convinced you of this?"

"He was walking out of the restaurant down the street not 10 minutes ago! Eating like anyone else would, but there's no mistaking his clothing or those eyes!" Integra's gaze narrowed,

"Alucard… explain to me how you could have missed the close proximity of your target?"

"I missed nothing Master…" Alucard's voice drifted through the rafters, "I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to…"

"That is enough Alucard. We will speak of this later." Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing scowled, it seemed she was surrounded by incompetent Soldiers, when had the situation gotten so very out-of-hand?


	6. Rendezvous

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 6: Rendezvous

Chapter Summary: Someone has found Sephiroth… but it isn't Vincent…

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

Another day had passed, and another night had fallen, and still Vincent tried with arguable success to track Sephiroth. It was mildly frustrating how easily his trail seemed to be lost in the macabre darkness of this world. Trudging through the outskirts of civilization, Vincent contented himself with the fact that he seemed to be tracking SOMETHING, even if Sephiroth had turned scarcer than the gunslinger would have thought possible, he was at least making some sort of headway against the other murderous denizens of these lands. His current lead had drawn him to an old farmhouse, recently in good repair… Vincent wrinkled his nose, he doubted the owners of the house would be taking care of it any longer, the rusty smell of blood drifted through the breeze even as far as the red-caped man strode. With a heavy sigh Vincent picked up his pace. These 'vampires' were truly despicable creatures…

As he walked through the door, Vincent expected to be greeted by an eerie stillness, a dark, dank and blood-soaked house like so many before this one. He was understandably surprised however, when the lights flickered on as he entered, a single well-dressed individual with red eyes sat in a large plush sofa that adorned the main room. His pale-grey suit was untouched by the blood that pooled on the floors and spattered on the walls. He grinned slowly as he matched Vincent's gaze, raising a glass filled with a thick dark-red liquid in silent toast to the gunslinger's approach. The Ex-Turk frowned, his glowing eyes tracing the carnage around the room before settling on the auburn-haired vampire before him.

"Welcome." The vampire purred, "You must be the 'hunter'… I've heard a good deal about you…"

"…"

"Would you care for a drink?" the well-dressed man smirked wickedly at his own joke,

"I do not approve of wanton bloodshed." Vincent said slowly.

"Of course you don't… what human would?" He quipped back easily, but his eyebrow raised and his gaze lingered pointedly on Vincent's own red eyes. "If you are human that is… there's a debate about that you know."

"…"

"Many people think you're another of those man-made vampires. If that's true, I have to say I'm rather impressed so far."

"…"

"My name is Wilhelm." The Vampire continued, unperturbed by Vincent's continued silence. "Do you have a name hunter?"

"Vincent… Valentine."

"Valentine?" Wilhelm's eyebrow rose again, "Any relation to Luke and Jan Valentine?"

"I have no living relatives." Vincent said firmly.

"They wouldn't technically be 'living'…"

"no." Vincent shook his head in emphasis, "What do you want?"

"You aren't much for conversations are you Valentine?" Wilhelm sighed dramatically, "I was just trying to give you the opportunity to say your last words."

In an instant Vincent had his pistol 'Silver Rifle' drawn, and leveled… but in that same instance the Vampire on the sofa disappeared. A stirring in the air was all the warning Vincent got, but it was enough. He leapt backwards a mere moment before the vampire's hand, Wielding a long serrated knife, slashed past where he'd just been. Vincent's shot rang out, but the bullet thudded harmlessly into the far wall. The smell of blood sifted from the floor and Vincent dived to one side. This one was definitely in a class above the previous undead he had fought! Wilhelm barely flickered into sight this time, and as Vincent rolled away quickly once more, he thanked his unlucky past as the deadly knife scraped harmlessly along his metal arm. Suddenly Wilhelm pulled back, pausing to regard Vincent from across the great room as the gunman recovered his balance.

"You are not nearly as tough as the rumors seemed to indicate…" The vampire decided in some disappointment. "This will not be much fun at all…"

--------------------------

Seras Victoria was experiencing a disconcerting sense of De-Ja-Vu as she plodded warily towards the farmhouse, thanks to Alucard they were quickly closing in on the mysterious 'hunter'. Even Seras, as inexperienced as she was, thought she could smell the red-cloaked man's unique odor from here. It was an odd scent, sort of musky and … cold… almost like a reptile or something… it didn't seem to produce much warmth.

_Police Girl…_

Seras jolted from her thoughts, "M-Master? You startled me Master…"

_Police Girl… remember that you have more than one of your senses to use…_

Seras blinked in confusion, "Master?... wait… I thought Sir Integra…"

_Don't worry about that… now LISTEN Police Girl!_

"I'm listening Master…" Seras allowed, expecting Alucard to continue, but as he remained silent she hesitated… then the distant sounds of gunshots came to her ears, she flushed red, … "more than one of my senses…" She mumbled sheepishly, she'd been too focused on her thoughts and trying to track the smell that she hadn't been listening!! Picking up her pace now, she jogged up to the house, sliding with her back to the wall of the building, her cannon pointed upwards as she'd always been trained. Her eyes narrowed as she listened.

"You're faster than you look Valentine. Just those few small scratches to show for all the effort I've put into dicing you."

Seras blinked, _Valentine? Had one of the Valentine brothers returned??_ A shudder ran through her spine at the thought. Luke had been the fast one… She remembered all too well the type of carnage one of them could wreak.

_It's the hunter Police Girl…_ Alucard supplied, a strange undertone to his voice that Seras didn't recognize.

Seras nodded wordlessly. She almost jumped when the gunshots resumed, three… no, four shots were fired in such rapid succession that a normal human would not have been able to pick them all out. Seras bit her lip, _was that the hunter shooting_? Laughter interrupted her thoughts, it was the same voice from before.

"You almost got me that time… it really is a pity you're hindered by mere mortal speed…"

Seras decided she knew enough, whirling from her position she dove to the door, throwing it open with a powerful blow from her shoulder, both hands still wrapped around her cannon as she whirled to face the room's occupants. Standing nearest to her was the 'hunter'… Valentine she'd heard his name was, across the room from him was the speaker. One glance told Seras that the later was definitely a vampire. She aimed at him first. She never even began to pull the trigger before he disappeared. Seras gasped in shock, staring for a brief moment before realizing that Valentine had vanished as well. A moment later a shot rang out. The bullet whizzed past her head, and Seras turned with dawning horror in time to watch the mysterious vampire blur away from her, his knife had been inches from her head.

"Well Valentine… so you would protect the little vampire? Just a tad hypocritical of you isn't it?" the undead smirked cruelly

Seras turned back in time to see Vincent standing protectively in front of her, in that moment Seras' opinion of the strange man underwent a dramatic change. He was not a killer, and not even prejudiced in any way. That he would protect her, when she was OBVIOUSLY a vampire shook her to the core. Her face settled in determined lines, Integra would want to know of this she was sure!

"Mr. Valentine sir?" She murmured, not taking her eyes from the true vampire.

The gunman's head turned slightly to acknowledge her question.

"I can help you." She said slowly. The vampire across the room simply watched with amusement, not in the least alarmed by their proposed alliance.

"… hmm." Vincent returned, his gaze also locked on their opponent. "You are a vampire correct?"

Seras stiffened, "… Yeah…"

"What are Vampires weaknesses?" the stoic man persisted,

Seras finally turned her head and gawked at him, "You don't know?" he shook his head. "Bloody Hell…" She whispered harshly, her mind thinking furiously over the shear number of undead this man had destroyed without even knowing how best to kill them. "well… you want to shoot them in the heart or the head…"

"I figured that one out." Vincent prompted,

"Um…" Seras continued to gaze at him, simply awed by his reputed skill. Finally she tore her eyes away and returned them to their enemy. "well… Vampires are weak against silver, sunlight, fire, and blessed weapons..." She listed quickly, it was something all Hellsing Soldiers needed to know, but Seras more importantly than the rest… after all, those things would kill HER too.

"Sunlight and Fire?" Valentine repeated, "Hmmm… wish I'd known that sooner…" Without any more explanation he replaced his slender silver pistol somewhere deep in his coat, his human hand returning to claim an absolutely huge tri-barreled gun, Seras couldn't help but stare… she could see her Master positively drooling over that thing in her mind. But where the young Vampiress expected the gunslinger to load bullets in the weapon, instead he withdrew two small colored orbs from his pocket. Seras blinked as he slid both items into small slots in his gun, they fit like they'd been designed to. Intensely confused she spared a glance towards the vampire once more. He too was gazing at Vincent's weapon in puzzlement.

"That is… certainly an impressive firearm." The undead murmured thoughtfully. "I may have to pry it from your cold, dead, fingers…"

The next motion Valentine made was a tad more anticipated, he leveled the pistol at the Vampire before him, took one step to the side to place himself directly in front of Seras, and then spread his cape with his clawed hand to even better obscure her from the room.

Extending one hand to reach for the cape Seras began to protest, but a deafening shot rang out, and the room filled with brilliant light. "What…?" From somewhere in the next room there was an agonized scream. Seras gasped in pain, yanking her hand back and gaping at the blistering burns there. Another ear-splitting bang, a blinding flash, and the screaming rose in volume, Seras cringed away, pulling her cannon up to her chest and hugging it tightly, that sound was HORRIBLE! Three more gunshots and Seras felt tears roll down her cheeks, finally the screeching faded into a gurgle, and after one last shot all noise ceased. The house stilled into eerie silence, it was several moments before Seras realized all light had left the house. For some reason she was glad of it, raising her gaze slowly she found Vincent looking down at her.

"Are you alright?" His emotionless voice queried.

Seras simply nodded, she was shocked, and more than a little unnerved, but the vampire had needed to die… "what… what did you do?" She half-whispered, … when her voice threatened to choke she frowned, and it was another moment before she realized she was rather frightened of Valentine.

"I used Materia… Fire 2,… and Solar-Flare…" He explained.

"Are those things called 'Materia'?" Seras gestured to the small glowing orbs.

"Yes…"

"How does that even work?"

"They…." A slight frown marred Vincent's face as he hesitated, "It's… complicated."

"Very complicated I'll bet…" A deep baritone interrupted,

"MASTER!" Seras gasped, "Master… but Sir Integra said…"

"I am very excited about this Valentine…" Alucard continued eagerly, "He may be just the challenge I have been looking for…"

--------------------------

Paladin Alexander Anderson strode unhesitant through the hallways of one rather prestigious hotel. He had promised the Hellsing Organization that he would leave once more for Rome, and at the time he had fully intended to keep said agreement. His humiliation at the hands of that strange 'hunter' was something he never wished to experience again! … though he regretted needing to tell them, it was information that Iscariot needed. But on his way to the train station, he'd stumbled across a trail that made his blood boil. It was another foul murderer, and certainly even Hellsing could not object to him cleaning up more vampires if they were 'on route' to his flight…

It was odd that an undead monster would chose to hole up in such a public place… Or so Anderson had thought before he'd stepped onto the floor he believed the vampire to be staying… the carpets were soaked in blood, even the Paladin couldn't believe no one had found this sooner. His thick boots squelched disgustingly in the dark liquid, as he walked purposefully down the hall, the trails all lead to a massive honeymoon suite. And without hesitation he kicked down the door. The room was as dark as he expected, but he paused briefly when his eyes met two green eyes glowing right back at him. The paladin had never seen such eyes, and it unnerved him not to know his enemy.

"Wha' foul pit hath spawned ya deamon? Ah'll need ta know where to send tha pieces of yar corpse! "

"Foolish traitor … you are simply destined to follow the rest of the insignificant mortals I have slain." The man returned in a surprisingly silken voice.

"It is you who are a traitor in the eyes of god… what sort of abomination are ye?"

"I am the chosen of JENOVA… all who breath shall be destroyed for defying her dominion." The green eyes flared, and the soft scraping of metal signaled a blade being drawn. Anderson had to pause at just how long that sound continued, and his eyes widened at the gleam of moonlight that revealed the Masamune.

"Do naught think ya can intimidate me with that! My god will protect me from vile monsters like you!" the Paladin spat, gripping his Bayonets tighter. The man before him simply smiled.

"But who will protect your god from me?"


	7. Carnage

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 7: Carnage

Chapter Summary: The Hellsing Organization finally meets their "Hunter".

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

Vincent frowned as he gazed at the red garbed man who materialized from the shadows. As a former Turk and assassin Vincent knew well the art of hiding in the darkness, but this was not one such case. The one Ceres called "Master" had literally walked through the wall and formed himself from the darkened corners of the gloomy house, in that instant Vincent knew he was dealing with something several leagues beyond his recently demolished foe.

"No words, Hunter?" The Tall Vampire grinned mockingly, blatantly baring his long fangs, and gazing over his goggles with eyes as red as Vincent's own. Though the color matched, the Ex-Turk noted that the Vampire's orbs didn't quite glow the same as one's touched by Mako. There was also a feral, inhuman light in the taller man's gaze.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Valentine murmured under his breath,

"A Nosferatu keeps no friends. Now are you a man? Or are you also no more than a dog?"

"…"

The vampire chuckled psychotically, a tone that was eerily familiar to the Ex-Turk.

"Who are you?" Vincent took a step forward, the impulse to shy away from the creature before him settling in a twitch between his shoulder-blades.

"I am Alucard, the No-Life King." The vampire stood straighter as he spoke, spreading his hands to present himself.

"I have no desire to fight you Alucard." Vincent stated simply. He wanted nothing more than to turn and leave but his instincts refused to let him turn his back on the Nosferatu.

"But I have a desire to fight _you. _It has been such a long time since I have found a worthy opponent."

Vincent shook his head slowly, pityingly, "I want no part of your games."

"A pity that." Alucard laughed, drawing his twin pistols, Casull and Jackal. With no more warning he fired both guns in Vincent's direction, smirking when the shorter gunman leapt nimbly out of the way. After dodging three more shots while listening to Alucard's gleeful cackle the Ex-Turk dove through the window, rolling across the dying grass to whirl around, aiming Cerberus where the Vampire had once been. The barely perceptible click of a drawn-back hammer was all the warning Vincent received before another shot rang out blasting the dirt his feet had vacated a split second before. He whirled firing before he'd even caught a glimpse of his target, aiming where his ears told him Alucard should be. When his eyes followed his pistol he paused, gazing at the massive hole in the Vampire's chest. A second passed, and another, the gunman frowned at the Cocky grin that still split the creature's face.

"Impressive aim you have, Hunter." Was all Alucard said, but as he spoke his flesh broke into formless tendrils and closed the gap Vincent's gun had made. Jackal rose once more, and the Ex-Turk leapt away, ignoring the spray of dirt and mud flying from the crater of the vampire's bullets. The caliber of shot was almost as impressive as the Cerberus, and certainly capable of felling any human or Vampire. Even as another bullet tore through his red cloak, Vincent couldn't help but smile, he had other advantages at his disposal. As he back flipped away from another bullet he summoned forth just one of the sleeping powers within him. Growling as the darkness surrounded him, his blood ran hot, boiling in his veins with the energies that were released. The brief pain of his muscles twisting their form was overshadowed by one of Alucard's bullets wrenching through his right arm. His vision blurred red, and then focused intensely on Alucard, all else was insignificant. A ragged howl tore from his throat, and he tossed back his newly formed muzzle to scream. The breeze ruffled his thick purple fur, and stark white mane. He flexed both his massive claw-tipped hands offering his own smirk at how quickly the wound Alucard had given him had closed. A startled gasp drew a twitch from one ear, noting that the younger vampire had followed them outside.

"Well, well… I thought there was more to you, Hunter… you are no more human than I am." Alucard tossed his own head back and laughed. Clouded by Galian Beast's rage Vincent charged towards his prey, ignoring the shots that tore at his flesh, he dodged any that might have proven fatal, but the rest he let his healing powers deal with. The distance was closed in a short instant, and his massive talons tore through both shoulders of the Nosferatu, ripping both arms from the body. Before the limbs could reach the ground one massive hand wrapped around Alucard's neck, lifting the "No-Life King" from his feet. For a moment Vincent struggled to contain Galian's fury, preventing the demonic instincts from crushing the life from his opponent.

"Do you still wish to play these games, Vampire?" Vincent growled, his voice thick and guttural as he forced it though his muzzle.

"Of course! Things are just getting interesting." Alucard returned, unperturbed by his supposedly vulnerable state. "Releasing Control Art Restrictions to level 2, until the Target has been Silenced." Galian gave a slow blink as the words registered. That phrase was even stranger than the "Impure souls of the living dead" speech Ceres had given him on their first meeting. He didn't get much time to ponder the bizarre phrase however, as the flesh of Alucard's sundered arms began to writhe, The tendrils of darkness rising into the air seemingly with a will of their own. Vincent's yellow eyes widened as he watched, leaping backwards and dragging Alucard's body with him, as the inky black forms sprouted numerous crimson eyes of their own. When teeth formed from the shapeless mass Galian Beast howled indignantly, flexing his arms and crushing the throat of the vampire he held. Tossing the remains to the ground, only to jump away again as the body melded with the living shadows and a massive canine head lunged forward to snap at the demon. With a snarl and a swipe of one clawed hand Galian tore the monstrous head from it's "body". His purple ears flattened against his head when three more shadowy heads emerged from the amorphous entity.

"Master has engaged Mr. Valentine… I mean, the hunter!" Vincent heard the younger Vampire Ceres explaining desperately. As he ripped three more of the eight-eyed heads from the … thing, he spared a thought for what the police girl was saying. Had someone else arrived? No, she must be talking through a radio or cell phone of some sort. "I tried that Master! He's not listening." Did young Ceres have more than one "Master"? Vincent wondered, trying to concentrate on tearing the life from the creature before him. He had lost count of how many heads, mouths and eyes had sprouted since he started.

Before long Alucard had completely dominated Galian Beast, not that the vampire had managed to inflict any serious damage to the quick-footed demon, but the enraged lycanthropic beast was going frantic trying to dismember his foe. All he could see anymore was a blur of black nothingness and red, unblinking eyes. Vincent quickly realized that he was not gaining any ground and that his foe was driving him at the vampire's convenience. Alucard seemed to be amusing himself at Galian's impatience, while slowly tiring him out. Vincent took a moment to snag control from Galian's feral mind, launching himself backwards and high into the air as far as his powerful legs could take him. The shadow heads followed quickly, even as Vincent transformed, his purple body was enveloped in red, as his cloak surrounded him and his shape dissolved. Gunshots rang out, splattering the heads as they moved and ripping gaping holes in the mass before him. For a moment Alucard's head formed from the shadows, followed shortly by one humanoid hand gripping his deadly black pistol, Jackal, but the vampire's own attacks did little to the Ex-Turk's current incarnation. The swirling red and ragged cloak descended, wrapping in on itself as Vincent's human form emerged, landing neatly on the ground a distance from Alucard.

"I have no time for your madness." Vincent snorted, turning and breaking into a run, this Alucard was definitely different from the other vampires, and also different from his own demons. The Ex-Turk didn't want to take the time to fight to a stalemate, or even to find out if such was possible. He hadn't gone far however, when a faint ringing noise began in his ears, The scenery faded around him, color and details blurring into indistinct red. Everything became washed with crimson, just an endless landscape of nothing. Vincent froze, taking in his surroundings; instinctively he knew it wasn't real.

"I do not let my prey escape so easily." Alucard's deep baritone echoed through the barren crimson field. Vincent half-turned, his reactions felt sluggish in the illusionary world. He thought he saw a speck of white a split second before Alucard's distinctive gloves appeared from nowhere, the open-palmed hand thrust forward, drawing a gasp from the Ex-Turk as it hit his chest and continued moving through. The spray of blood was lost in the deep ruddy landscape. Vincent slowly looked down at the arm sticking out of his torso, then his gaze lifted to stare at the Vampire who materialized to match his limb. Alucard was smirking at him, baring a set of pointy teeth a shark might envy, but the smile slowly faded as the No-Life King's watched Vincent's eyes turn a glowing Amber. The red gaze slowly lowered to the hole in the Ex-Turk's chest, from whence a bright whitish glow was emanating. Now it was the undead's turn to slowly blink, as the Proto Materia disintegrated Alucard's intruding limb. The vampire looked up just in time to see Chaos snarl, the black energies surging over the gunman's form, The red of his bandana dissolved blending into his hair and slowly sharpening into a horn-like crest. His black hands lunged forward, grasping the Vampire by the shoulders, even as his massive tri-fold wings formed from his tattered cape. One powerful stroke of the demon's wings sending the two high into the air, spinning as they rose until Chaos' snapped his wings open, purple black electric power condensed around his hands, and Chaos roared as he blasted the Nosferatu back towards the ground. The illusions shattered, the red nothingness quickly replaced by the decrepit house and the dried up landscape. Alucard lay stunned on the ground for a mere moment, gazing upwards to see an enormous pistol resting in the demon's hands, it's cross-shaped barrel pointed directly at the vampire's chest. Chaos snarled as he pulled the trigger, launching a sphere of purple energies into the No-Life King. Alucard's body, the ground beneath his body, and a good portion of the nearby house exploded.

A radio dropped to the ground. "M… Master?" A quivering female voice called out. Chaos descended slowly to the ground, his feet alighting gently on the ground. Glowing yellow eyes slowly passed over the wreckage to regard the younger vampire. Before Ceres could do more than gasp, the demon dissolved, revealing the red cloaked "hunter" once more. A silence fell for several moments, until Ceres noticed the purr of a familiar engine cutting out. There was the click of a door opening, and the crunch of boots on gravel. Ceres turned towards the sound, "Master?" She whispered, a smile of relief transforming her face as the blond woman approached through the shadows. "MASTER!"

"Officer Victoria, report on the situation." Integra demanded, Ceres hesitated, gazing frantically around at the mess her Master's Master could not yet see through the trees.

"I… we… we found the Hunter, Sir." She gestured with a trembling hand behind her, turning to find that Vincent was already walking away.

"Officer Victoria, detain him." Sir Hellsing snapped,

"B-but Sir, I …"

"That is an Order Victoria!" Ceres skittered hastily towards the retreating Valentine.

"Mr. Valentine sir? Um… could you please wait here a bit longer? I have orders and all… and ah… Please don't kill me."

"Alucard!" Integra shouted in frustration, "I know you're here." A few moments before Ceres words registered with her. She whirled to snarl at the younger vampire, "Officer Victoria! We do not tolerate such cowardice in the Hellsing Organization!" Ceres winced, shrinking a little and gazing in panic between Integra and Vincent.

"I have no intention of hurting you." The Ex-Turk reassured her softly, before turning slightly to gaze at Integra Hellsing. "You should not criticize your subordinate, she has actually shown remarkable bravery."

"Who do you think you are?" Integra returned firmly.

"Vincent Valentine."

"Any possible relation to Luke or Jan Valentine?"

"I have no relations you would know of, living or otherwise." Vincent affirmed.

"Alucard! Come here this instance!" Something fell from a nearby tree, landing near Integra's feet. When her gaze followed the sound she found a dismembered hand, garbed in a very familiar glove, it seemed to be waving at her. "I am not amused, Alucard. Get your entire self here this instant!"

"I am working on it, Master." The Nosferatu's voice drifted through the trees. "Permission to release Control Art Restrictions to level one?"

"Denied." Integra growled.

"Then I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait." Alucard returned in amusement.

"Are you trying to tell me that Hellsing's prized vampire is currently incapable of reforming himself?"

"Exactly."

Integra shifted her gaze back to where Vincent and Ceres stood motionlessly, her icy blue eyes considering the situation more intently than before. "Officer Victoria, would you please collect your Master." With a quick bob of the head, and an audible sigh of relief Ceres dashed off into the woods, following the cries of "Over here police girl.", Integra continued to match Vincent's gaze, "Mr. Vincent Valentine, I want to know exactly what it is you are doing here."

"…"

Integra's eyes narrowed, "I do not have the patience for your insolence."

"Who are you to demand such from me?" Vincent asked softly, his crimson gaze never leaving Sir Hellsing's face.

"I am Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, leader of the Hellsing Organization." Integra took several steps forward, standing boldly before the Ex-Turk.

"I am not familiar with you." Was Vincent's quick reply.

"It is the duty of the Hellsing Organization to exterminate vampires wherever we find them Mr. Valentine, you are interfering with our operations. Under what jurisdiction are you hunting vampires here in England?"

"I am not hunting vampires."

Integra raised an eyebrow, pausing to gaze pointedly at the mostly destroyed house. "Is that so Mr. Valentine?"

"The vampires were getting in my way."

"If you are not hunting vampires, then what exactly is your purpose here?"

"I am hunting Sephiroth." Vincent explained.

"Who, or what is 'Sephiroth'." Integra was quickly losing patience with the gunman's terse answers, folding her arms over her chest as she glared at him.

"A murderer, I am trying to stop him." It was at about this time that Ceres returned from her assignment, gingerly carrying Alucard's head in her hands, he still possessed his neck and a small portion of his collarbone, but the rest of his body was simply missing.

"Here's the largest part I could find Sir."

"Good evening Master, so good to see you again." Alucard grinned at Integra from his position in Ceres' arms, then his gaze flicked over to Vincent, "Well met Valentine, that was quite a fight, but I have no intentions of letting things end there, we will play again soon, demon. You cannot run from me." The vampire's smirk widened, until all his teeth were bared.

"Shut up Alucard." Integra snapped,

"But Master, this Valentine is no more human than,…"

"I said shut up, Alucard."

"You want him to shut up?" Vincent interrupted,

Integra's eyes narrowed, "yes."

Without another word Vincent's arm rose, pulling Death Penalty from its holster in a smooth, practiced motion and aiming the gun between Alucard's eyes. With a yelp Ceres held the head out to the side, watching as the weapon followed the motion. For a moment Alucard was silent, studying the end of the pistol that had felled him.

"Permission to release Control Art Restrictions to…"

"Denied!" Integra barked. Alucard shut his mouth and glared at the end of Vincent's gun. "Now then Mr. Valentine, perhaps you could continue your explanation."

"…"

Integra watched stoically, as the gunman before her did the same. "Mr. Valentine, what exactly does this Sephiroth intend to do?"

"Destroy the world."

"That sounds a little cliché, don't you think?" Integra prodded, she was quickly tiring of the man's introversions.

"Not for Sephiroth."

"If this Sephiroth is such a threat, why have I never heard of him before?" Integra snapped,

"He is from my world."

"_Your_ world, Valentine?"

"Master, if I may interrupt?" Alucard began quickly, continuing before his request could be denied, "I believe that blood circle we found was some sort of occult summoning spell." Integra shot a glare at the vampire's head, but considered the idea carefully.

"What exactly does this 'Sephiroth' look like?" Integra asked thoughtfully, remembering the reports of the first sightings of the 'hunter'.

"Rather like you, actually…" Vincent returned, gazing over Integra with a half-smile, "He's male, a little taller, black coat, green eyes, and no glasses… but other than that pretty much like you."

"If that is supposed to be a joke Mr. Valentine, I am not laughing."

"I am not joking." Vincent returned seriously.

"Sir?" Ceres piped in hesitantly, "I … I think I remember seeing this Sephiroth guy, when I first saw Mr. Valentine, he did look a lot like you, but the look in his eyes reminded me more of Master's." Alucard started laughing, chuckling loudly to himself until Vincent shifted the Death Penalty in his direction again.

"I believe the Hellsing Organization can handle such a threat Mr. Valentine." Integra cut sharply through the conversations. "We have been protecting England from Supernatural monsters for over a hundred years."

"Did you even know he was here? I've been tracking him for months."

"…" Now it was Integra's turn to stare silently, they had only been following Vincent's trail for weeks. "Regardless, what makes you think that we could not handle this Sephiroth ourselves?"

Vincent's gaze shifted to Alucard, "I took down your so-called 'prized vampire' more quickly than I could have done Sephiroth."

"If this Sephiroth is so powerful, why have we not seen his handiwork?"

"He is laying low, hiding his trail amongst the dark creatures of this world. However, knowing Sephiroth, he will soon grow bored of this inaction, and once that happens, you will not be able to stop the flow of blood."

"Sounds appetizing!" Alucard's disembodied head commented, only to glare when Vincent's gun trained on him again. The standoff was interrupted, however, when an almost scruffy-looking fellow with a braid of orange hair dashed towards them with a phone.

"Sir Integra! You've got a phone call!"

"Who is it Captain Bernadette?" Integra turned to greet the leader of the Wild Geese.

"It's your butler, he says there's something you should know right away!" Integra accepted the phone and stepped a few paces from the group to answer, though Vincent probably could have overheard the conversation if he cared to, he instead turned his gaze to the new comer. "Hey, you must be that hunter fellow everyone's yappin' about." The captain smirked, "You get your fashion sense from Alucard or something?"

"…"

"Not exactly the chatty type are ya?"

"Mr. Valentine," Integra interjected, ignoring Bernadette's shrug, "I believe we might have come across some information regarding your target. If you would accompany me to the site it might be possible to confirm our suspicions." Vincent thought for a moment, and then nodded, following Integra's lead. "Captain Bernadette," Sir Hellsing added, "Go and collect as much of Alucard as you can find, get a plastic bag if you have to."

The leader of the Wild Geese blinked several times, "Huh? What??"

"I have his head." Ceres supplied, holding the smiling face up for inspection, "We need to find the rest of him."

"Oh gross! This is NOT in my job description!"

"NOW Captain Bernadette," Integra shouted, "we do not have time to dawdle."

With much grumbling Pip and Ceres wandered off into the blasted clearing, following Alucard's instructions as to where to find his pieces. The last words Vincent heard before he wandered out of earshot was, "You need to freshen up on your biology, Captain, my foot does not attach to the back of my head…"

--------------------------

The Hellsing car pulled up in front of an airport hotel, on the outside it was impressive, sporting six full stories, and wider than it was tall. But this night it was ringed with Hellsing vehicles and scattered police. Vincent had not spoken during the drive, except to ask Integra not to smoke, a request that had not gone over particularly well with the knighted heir. As they stepped outside the vehicle Integra almost groaned, the smell of blood was thick even from this distance.

"Commander!" Integra barked, noting the large number of uniformed men milling about. "What is the situation?"

"It's a massacre Sir." The commander explained, walking up to his superior even as he wiped sweat from his brow, "No survivors that we've found, I don't think anyone got out alive."

"And your men? Why are they not inside?"

"I beg your pardon Sir,… but, … none of the men could stomach staying in there any longer you, … you'd better see for yourself if you have the nerve." Even as the officer shakily finished his explanation, the Second car containing Bernadette and the Hellsing vampires pulled up.

"Commander, I want you to inform Officer Victoria that she is not to enter the building under any circumstances." The commander saluted with a quick nod and took off for the second car. Without a word Vincent Valentine walked past Integra and stepped into the building, ignoring the blond woman's scowl. A short moment later the Leader of Hellsing followed.

The interior of the building was not something that could have been properly described, at first glance it had seemed as though the hotel had used an over-abundance of dark red décor, but very quickly the newcomers came to realize that it was just blood, everywhere, so much of it that even in the hours it lay, still it had not dried. It pooled an inch above the plush carpets, the fabrics unable to soak any more. Vincent walked forward, unperturbed by the gruesome scene, his metallic boots making thick squelching noises as he strode across the flooded floors. He walked to one wall, tracing a long, deep cut in the marble. Wordlessly he strode to the stairs, placing a hand on the balustrade where it was blackened and burned.

"Sephiroth is bored." Vincent declared, though the admittance brought him no pleasure.

"So this _was_ the work of your Sephiroth?" Integra confirmed as she strode passively through the mess, "It is certainly a nasty piece of work."

"This is actually mild for him… it's just one building." Wordlessly the two continued up the stairs, the rest of the floors revealed much of the same, long corridors covered in blood and countless unidentifiable chunks of flesh. Some rooms were charred, but no lasting fires remained, put out by the sheer magnitude of blood washed over everything. It was on the fourth floor that they found him, a few Hellsing operatives, and a scant handful of Vatican men struggling to find pieces and fit them together. On the floor in the hallway lay the remains of Paladin Alexander Anderson, whether he was currently alive was debatable, but with the efforts of the men to recover the chunks of him, his body still seemed to be healing itself slowly.

"Well this scene certainly looks familiar," Integra murmured,

"You have no idea." Vincent returned soberly.


	8. Burning Chaos

Streams of Consciousness. – Chapter 8: Burning Chaos

Chapter Summary: Sadistic insanity abounds in the Climactic final battle…

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated M : For Extreme Violence. No cussing, No pairings, No Adult Situations.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7 or Hellsing. They are owned by Square-Enix and Kouta Hirano respectively, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vincent continued to prowl the hallways of the hotel, a few moments earlier Sir Integra Hellsing had brought in her forensics team, which had been unsurprisingly accompanied by Alucard. Whether or not the vampire had been invited seemed a moot point to the self-proclaimed "No-Life King" and Sir Hellsing had not bothered to dismiss him. Vincent himself, was mentally mapping the fight that must have occurred earlier, between Sephiroth and the Paladin Anderson. Most of the Priest's signature weapons were imbedded into the walls, ample evidence that he had missed quite frequently. Some of the Bayonets where lodged in the ceiling, and still more had been scattered as if deflected. Vincent patiently examined each one, ignoring the raven-haired vampire that stubbornly followed him, … or perhaps 'tormented' would be a better description.

"Taking your time, eh Valentine?" Alucard chuckled, Vincent said nothing, turning his gaze to the next bayonet protruding from the burnt wall. "Surely your prey is getting further away while you waste your time here." Vincent rose, walking calmly to the next bunch of weapons. "If you are looking to find his smell, dog… he flies." The vampire continued, "Are you just going to wait until he slaughters more of these pathetic humans?" the ex-Turk continued his methodical search, unperturbed by the Nosferatu's baiting. Well after he had lost count of how many blessed bayonets he had inspected, Vincent finally paused on one particular blade, carefully lifting it from the ground and turning it in the light. Alucard was still cheerfully describing the mayhem Sephiroth was surely committing when Vincent finally interrupted him.

"Alucard." Just that one word spoken firmly caused the vampire to hesitate, the ex-Turk did not wait for a response, "Can you find him with blood?"

"His blood?" Alucard chuckled, "human blood is so much the same… if I'm not drinking it fresh from their necks it is simply food." Vincent turned, and the deranged snickering ceased, a small quirk twisted the demon-infused gunman's lips, the first semblance of a smile the No-Life King had ever seen from him. Wordlessly the ex-Turk handed the blade he held to the vampire, in the light a single sliver of dried blood was evident on the edge. Alucard did not take the offered weapon, but instead leaned forward running his unusually long tongue up the blessed bayonet, even as his crimson eyes locked with Vincent's own. In a second Alucard grinned, then chuckled, finally throwing his head back into a full-throated laugh. The rest of the Hellsing operatives cringed, and the Vaticans surrounding the Paladin stared nervously. 

--------------------------

Half an hour later found Vincent matching Alucard's long-legged stride as they followed Sephiroth's trail through the city.

"This prey of yours has bitter blood." The vampire cheerfully informed his temporary cohort. "Not human, and particularly unappetizing, … but it makes me wonder what YOUR blood tastes like… is it sweet, Hunter? Or is your blood as foul as the demons you carry?" Vincent, of course, did not offer a response, instead his eyes swept the paths before them. Alucard proceeded with no hesitation, drawn by the memory of Sephiroth's taste. Vincent felt the winds cool, the sky, already dark with night became oppressive. The ex-AVALANCHE gunman's eyes narrowed, frantically scanning, listening for the tell-tale screams of the massacred, but it was silent. Another breeze rushed down the street, and the mako-infused gunman froze, his gaze snapping upwards.

"The sky…" Vincent murmured to himself, it should have been obvious, he mentally cursed. Thick black clouds filled the sky, spiraling slowly towards one point. In the distance the ex-Turk could see the hefty structure of a massive bridge, black wisps slithered from the sky to brush the middle-most point of the construction. Without another word Vincent bolted, racing through the streets, skillfully avoiding both people and vehicles as he focused on his target. He didn't care whether or not Alucard followed him, he intended to stop Sephiroth NOW before the madman could wreak further havoc. Thankfully the bridge in question spanned a wide river, visible past most of the surrounding architecture. Even with all that to guide him, he still found himself traveling over the rooftops more often than not; the cramped and winding streets seemed to have little cohesive direction.

After navigating the London streets up to the bridge, Vincent slid to a halt, the entire length of the bridge was crammed with cars, and people were shouting and honking. Accidents on both ends effectively blocked easy escape, with tell-tale blade marks ample evidence as to the cause of the ruckus. As his gaze followed the massive traffic tangle, the gunman experienced a familiar sinking feeling as he spotted his target. Sephiroth stood waiting, grinning, and watching, atop a massive pile of destroyed cars, right in the middle of the bridge itself, as to what had happened to the occupants of the vehicles, Vincent did not know, but he had a dreadful suspicion. The raven-haired gunman moved steadily forward, Cerberus drawn and at the ready. He stared unflinchingly into the turquoise eyes that disinterestedly followed his movements.

"We meet again Valentine, are you so determined to die with the rest of these insignificant creatures?"

"I am here to put an end to your suffering."

A silver eyebrow rose, "Suffering?" a low chuckle caused the hairs to rise on the back of Vincent's neck, "Only the lesser beings that skulk about the world know suffering. … Where is Cloud? At least he was amusing in his naiveté."

Vincent snorted, now standing a reasonable distance from the JENOVA infused swordsman. In the very moment Sephiroth blinked, the ex-Turk aimed and fired the massive Cerberus gun. Sephiroth twitched to one side, but to the surprise of both warriors the action proved superfluous. A white-gloved hand appeared between them, rising from the shadows of the destruction Sephiroth had caused. Lodged bloodily in the arm itself were the three bullets from Vincent's gun.

"Now, now, Hunter… Let's not be so hasty." Alucard drawled, Crimson eyes gazing lazily over his glasses as he watched the two ex-Shinra employees. "You said this man would make dog-meat out of me, … I'd really like to see that." His grin widened baring a set of shark-like teeth.

Sephiroth smirked, glancing between the two strangely similar gunmen, "Relative of yours Valentine? What strange company you keep."

"Don't stand in my way, Alucard." Vincent growled, "He must be stopped."

"This is my fight," the Vampire sneered, "I fight him first, Hunter … I will not be denied such an opportunity."

Vincent's eyes narrowed, but after a glance at the surrounding bridge where people were still wandering in confusion, he sighed. "Fine, you can fight him first, I'll clear the bridge."

Alucard chuckled darkly, gleefully turning towards Sephiroth, "Hellsing can handle the bridge, Valentine."

"Then call them here!" Vincent snapped back, reaching under his cloak he tossed his Cell phone at the Vampire, "It needs to be evacuated NOW." Alucard caught the phone with ease, glanced at Sephiroth who showed no signs of moving and flipped the phone open. Much to the surprise of Vincent, the device seemed to work.

"Hello Master," Alucard grinned, "We found the Target, he's on the London Bridge, I am engaging him, requesting an evacuation for the local citizens." That said, the No-Life King snapped the phone shut and tossed it back over his shoulder, where Vincent retrieved it. There hadn't been enough time for a response on the other end, and Alucard was already focused on the Silver-haired swordsman. Shaking his head Vincent turned and strode through the cars, ordering people off the bridge to the best of his ability; thankfully he was intimidating enough that most people didn't have to be told twice.

"I have been waiting a long time for a fight like this," The vampire breathed, Sephiroth simply smirked. Alucard strode confidently forward, both hands empty, his smile never changing, his opponent stood still, letting the red-cloaked undead come closer. When he was within range Sephiroth lazily lopped off Alucard's head with the Masamune, appearing terribly bored by the whole spectacle. That changed quickly, when Alucard, now headless, continued forward. One silver eyebrow raised, and Masamune flashed like silver fire. Bloody chunks flew everywhere, splattering the piled cars and the bridge beneath. When there was not a piece left big enough to twitch Sephiroth snorted.

"Not a very sporting game." The Ex-General waved a hand dismissively as he turned and scanned for Vincent. His blade struck instinctively when movement appeared behind him. Sephiroth hesitated when laughter bubbled up, he blinked several times at the strange familiarity of the tone.

"The Hunter was right… you are an excellent opponent." When Sephiroth turned the massacred chunks of meat he'd flayed from the vampire seemed to dissolve into one another, rising like black flames edged in an unholy red light.

With a wave of his hand the Black-cloaked swordsman pulled on his own power, the writhing mass of nothingness before him spontaneously combusted. Alucard just laughed harder, almost choking on his own insane cackling. "Releasing Control Arts Restrictions to le-"

"Nova." Sephiroth interrupted, A massive blazing stone fell from the sky and exploded on the vampire's indeterminate form, effectively scattering the reforming pieces. The black splatters of vampire did not hesitate this time, but moved with sudden and single-minded ferocity, white-gloved hands sprang from every direction, every place where Alucard's "pieces" had been scattered. There was no discernable body, the disjointed limbs formed from the black, blood-like mass. The speed at which they moved was entirely beyond human, but Sephiroth was not there when the hands connected. He leaped into the air and from his back sprouted a single black wing. He hovered, surveying the carnage below him. The Son of the Calamity stretched one black gloved hand towards the ground, and clenched his fist slowly.

The shadows darkened, smoke-like wisps sprang from the ground and the sky to meet together in slow, thin cyclones. And from these darkened threads sprang Creatures the likes of which England had never before seen; Great black dog-like monsters with massive talons and skull-like heads, featherless birds with glowing eyes, Armored Serpents with acid-dripping fangs. All of these sprang from Sephiroth's magic, snarling and growling they numbered almost a hundred and all of them fell on the flailing disembodied arms like rabid wolves. The 'One-Winged Angel' spiraled lazily for a few moments watching the chaos below, black fire and formless clouds were everywhere. Finally Sephiroth flapped his wing once and settled atop an abandoned Semi-Truck. Content to watch the display.

Standing just past the edge of the bridge Vincent Valentine surveyed the battle, true to Alucard's words hulking trucks bearing the insignia all the Hellsing soldiers wore crowded on both ends of the road, blocking further traffic. With military precision the people were led quickly away from the sight. So that by the time Alucard and Sephiroth had begun to fight in earnest, there were no innocents to view the mayhem. The ex-Turk glanced behind him once when a small band of people strode up to stand next to him. Integra Wingates Hellsing watched impassively, a cigar held neatly between her teeth. Next to her rigid poise Captain Bernadette reminded Vincent sharply of Reno, slouching lazily, a cigarette barely in his mouth, the ashes dropping unchecked to the ground. Ceres Victoria simply looked nervous, her massive cannon hugged to her chest, when the young vampiress moved as if to join her master both Vincent and Integra held out a forestalling hand. The two exchanged a glance, but said nothing.

Pip Bernadette swore, "You two are creepy." He drawled, offering a shiver. There was no answer to his comment.

Back on the bridge, Sephiroth smiled lazily, Between the black mist of dissipating summons, and the black-red splatters of vampiric essence, it was almost impossible to discern exactly what was happening in the tangled knot of limbs below. The Ex-SOLDIER waited calmly, absent-mindedly flicking the blood from his sword.

Suddenly the black shapeless mass rose, smoke, blood and all into a twisting spiral before the Semi-Truck Sephiroth stood upon, a single arm detached itself, wielding a long black pistol, followed by a second similarly armed appendage. Both limbs, One holding Cassul, and the other Jackal, opened fire nearly simultaneously, The silver haired swordsman took one step back, his blade blurring before him and striking the projectiles from the air with loud metallic clangs. When the two guns paused to reload Sephiroth whirled, his sword lighting with green energy, as he finished his spin the magic was flung from his blade in a practiced arc, neatly burning through the inky mound before him. Two more long swings dissected the arms from the rest of the creation, whatever was touched by the green energies burned and disintegrated. Another flick of his wrist, and Sephiroth sent shards of ice spiraling through the air, which crystallized everything they touched.

The One-Winged angel smirked, "There is a shortage of magic in this world ... How could you even hope to defeat me?"

The black form still writhed before him, and glowing red eyes blinked into existence all over its surface. Each orb stared unerringly at Sephiroth despite their position on the host. Heads with fangs snarled and Alucard's head formed itself, in the center, grinning madly at the black-cloaked figure. As Sephiroth watched the world began to tinge in red, the details of his surroundings obscured. Alucard's core began fading into the crimson scenery, … the One-Winged Angel threw back his head and laughed. The world went from Crimson to orange, the bridge was replaced by a burning village, flames licked the sky, the heat singed even the vampire's face. The landscape blurred into green, sickly spirals of floating energy in a black void, then everything turned white, a snow-topped mountain Alucard had never seen, biting winds and snow so deep it buried the black mound.

They were standing on the bridge, small fires still licked the roads where they weren't coated in ice.

"You cannot use Illusions against me." Sephiroth chuckled, "You are an amateur."

Now it was Alucard's turn to laugh, the entire collection of red-eyed shaplessness quivered with it. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!!" He cackled, shouting his enthusiasm to any within range "I have waited so long! You have demons! You have magic!! This fight will be GLORIOUS!" The vampiric mass shot forward, hell-hound jaws snapping, guns firing and more hands than Sephiroth could count reaching everywhere. The once famed General of Shinra just as quickly became a blur of motion, his sword Masamune disappeared into flashing silver arcs, everywhere it passed chunks flew, anything that came too close was lit on fire by his magic, or frozen solid, or melted by magical acid. He flew, dodging attacks with god-like agility, in all the mayhem, Alucard didn't hear Sephiroth speak until it was too late.

"SUPER-NOVA!" The One-Winged Angel shouted with a malicious grin. His previous comet-summoning spell had only brought down one fiery rock, this one brought down dozens. Crashing into the vampire and the bridge beneath him with such ferocity the structure groaned and cracked, finally the middle of it sagged and crumbled from the strain. Still Sephiroth hovered, when a flock of bats rose from the wreckage of the bridge's center the swordsman struck as many from the air as he could reach. The small black creatures gathered hastily on the side of the bay, atop the rising spires of the Southwark Cathedral. Sephiroth just laughed.

Alucard grinned in return, "Permission to Release Control Arts Restriction to level Zero…?" His crimson eyes flitted downward, and when Sephiroth's slitted ones followed his gaze he found Vincent Valentine, and a young woman with white-blonde hair and cold blue eyes. Both stood on the road at the edge of the ruined bridge.

Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing glared at her "prized" vampire, she wasn't sure when he'd released the other levels, but he'd apparently managed.

"Denied." She snapped, leveling a gaze that would turn lesser men into quivering lumps.

Alucard looked stunned, "But Master!" He almost growled, "I can defeat him!"

Integra's stance did not waver, "You have overstepped your bounds, Vampire." She icily informed him, "You have backup, … use it."

"Master!"

"NOW ALUCARD!! … DO NOT MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!" The cigar the young woman had been smoking was tossed roughly to the ground, as she dared the red-cloaked undead to defy her words. At first Sephiroth was sure Alucard would refuse, he glared angrily at the blonde woman, snarling beneath his breath. But much to the One-Winged Angel's surprise he simply bowed,

"As You command… My Master…"

Vincent stepped forward, pausing for just a moment to glance back at Integra, "He has another level?"

"Alucard is not the most reliable creature when fully released." Integra informed him briskly, "It would be inexcusably irresponsible to let him wreak havoc in the middle of London."

Vincent nodded, but as he turned to walk he muttered, "If I fail to defeat Sephiroth… Release him." Integra said nothing, but the Gunman did not wait for a reply. He met Alucard on top of the Cathedral. "We will not draw out this fight any longer." He said, Alucard sneered, but was silent as Vincent drew his gun Death Penalty.

Sephiroth snickered at both of them from his vantage in the air, "You cannot defeat me Valentine…" He waved Masamune at the destruction below him. "It took Cloud and his entire band of pathetic misfits to defeat me once… You are not Cloud."

"I am not Cloud." Vincent agreed, unperturbed, "Cloud needed to defeat you, to make himself whole again. … I no longer need to hold back on his behalf." black and purple energy began to writhe around his form, the red of his outfit twisted, and flowed like liquid to merge with his body. The already pale skin turned white, red eyes glowed amber, ringed in black. With a half-twisted smile the Ex-Turk leaped into the air, "You never saw all that I am, Sephiroth!" He snarled, his voice deepening as he transformed, the wings spread behind him with an audible snap, and wreathed in violet electricity he launched himself at the One-Winged "Angel".

"Chaos." Sephiroth growled in recognition, just moments before the two collided.

Alucard looked on in amused envy as the two figures danced through the sky, green and purple clashed in bright explosions of magic, the dark black-purple shots from Death Penalty seered the air, leaving the heavy smell of atmosphere and char in it's wake, the green energies thrown from Masamune sliced through pieces of bridge and buildings as they sought their target in vain. … Vincent was faster. The demon whirled around the massive No-dachi, twisting away from powerful spells, his own magics quickly healing his wounds even as Sephiroth did similarly. Vincent was faster, but Sephiroth was better, … the great General, responsible for the fall of Wutai, had a single-minded focus, pain did not slow him, his blade bore uncanny precision, even in flight he had impressive command of his own movements. Chaos whipped back and forth, dodging and shooting, and the son of JENOVA persued.

Down on the ground the number of spectators had grown, and in a voice of confusion Captain Bernadette pointed to Alucard where he still stood atop the religious structure, "Oi, … Why ain't Red joining the fight?"

Ceras Victoria, raised an eyebrow in the mercenary's direction, "Um… Master can't fly, like THAT." She explained skeptically, "And all vampires are weakened by bodies of running water."

"He can't?" Pip eyed her in surprise, before spitting out a startled curse, "I thought Alucard was the exception to all that stuff."

"Even Alucard has his limitations." Integra never looked away from the fight, and the other two nodded in some understanding, before sheepishly returning their gazes to the fray.

The trial continued, both warriors vying for the advantage, Sephiroth's skills were legendary, and his accuracy and agility made up for the advantage Vincent had with speed and range. The Blood frequently rained from grazing blows, and though it was nearly impossible to see everything, it soon became apparent that Vincent was slowly battering the other down. In a move that surprised everyone, the Demonic-Gunman dove in straight for Sephiroth the shot from Death Penalty went wide, deflected by the green glow that ringed Masamune, but Vincent didn't stop he blasted forward, his golden claw raked the Silver-haired warrior's torso, and as the Black-winged man jerked from the blow, the demon whirled striking with the back of his gun and his claws one more time, before dashing over the psychotic ex-General. The spectators couldn't even blink before he fired Death Penalty point-blank into Sephiroth's chest.

The Legendary swordsman plummeted in a blaze of purple and green energies, but even as he fell the nasty wounds on his chest started closing, the power of JENOVA continued to heal him at an incredible rate. He smiled at Vincent during his decent, right until the black and red blazing undead form of a hundred hands rose like blades stabbing through the pale flesh of the falling "Angel" Sephiroth jerked in surprise, choking on blood, but even that was not enough, he began to burn with sickly green fire, the hands of the Vampire slowly disintegrating. And that was when a golden demonic Claw landed with the force of Vincent's dive, thrusting straight through the black-leather clad chest and crushing the heart of the near-immortal.

With one last choking gasp Sephiroth laughed, "I can never die Valentine! I will return…"

"Go back to the void between worlds." Vincent ripped out what was left of the organ he'd crushed, and as the Silver-haired legend faded into green-black wisps he murmured "Where you belong."

Alucard's form slowly dissolved back into his more recognizable self, and Vincent leisurely landed, allowing the purple magic to overwhelm Chaos and revert him to normal.

"It is done". The ex-Turk said quietly when he had caught his breath.

"That was amazing Mr. Valentine!" Ceres chimed in admiration,

Vincent nodded to her, watching impassively as a black-haired man dressed in the attire of a butler stepped forward from the shadows.

"That was quite the impressive display Sir Valentine." The spectacled butler complimented, "I am Walter, … Sir Integra's butler, If I may, the Hellsing Organization has decided to offer some compensation for your help."

"Sephiroth was from my world… it was not your responsibility." Vincent curtly interrupted.

"Never-the-less," Walter continued unfazed, "Hellsing is not unaware of the great effort you expended to save a world that was _not _your own. … We have taken the liberty of studying the occult magic that brought you here Sir Valentine, and, while it might take some time, we are confident that we can discover a way to send you back."

Vincent paused to study the intelligent black eyes that watched him, the servile attitude hid a man poised and confident. Recognizing an equal, he finally nodded.

"That's great Mr. Valentine," Ceres beamed happily at him, but after a moment her cheer faded "um… but, … what are you going to do now?" The ex-Turk paused to glance over the collected figures, from Alucard's smug grin, to Ceres' innocent one, Integra's cold glare, and the all-too-knowing eyes of her "butler". He was silent for long enough that the young blonde vampire began to fidget. Finally with a sigh he turned straight to Integra,

"Does Hellsing need another gun?"

THE END! ^_^

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((Author's Note: Wow… that chapter was seriously tricky… . … I hope you all enjoyed this! Streams of Consciousness was by far the most difficult to write of my fanfics, I put a lot of effort into it. I hope I didn't disappoint!

Anyways, I'm CONSIDERING doing an Epilogue, but I haven't decided for sure yet… at least I'll be taking a break to catch up with "No Longer A Memory" and my newly started "Once More, With Feeling" …

And last but not least, Thanks so much to my "unofficial" Beta, **AmascusMage!!**

catch y'all later! And thanks so much for reading! ^_^ . ))


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